1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rakes and more particularly pertains to roller rake apparatuses which may be utilized for grating and leveling sand or other ground surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of rakes is known in the prior art. More specifically, rakes heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of grating or clearing a ground surface are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
For example, a V-shaped lawn raking apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,365 which includes a wheeled unit adapted to detachably receive a generally V-shaped framework member having downwardly angled arm segments each provided with rake teeth thereon for removing and collecting debris as the apparatus is pushed across a lawn.
A lawn rake is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,073 which includes a tine receiving rake head molded of a plastic material as an integral unit structure and includes a handle receiving portion and at least one tine mounting portion. The handle receiving portion includes a generally centrally located elongated socket portion for receiving therein one end of a handle to facilitate an ease of assembly.
Another patent of interest is a wheel rake as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,803 which illustrates a pull-type, rotary wheel, side delivery rake having a mobile main frame including a horizontal beam extending obliquely relative to the direction of travel for controlling a vertical position of the rake wheels.
Other relevant patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,516,393, and 4,446,685.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a roller rake apparatus having a plurality of rows of spaced rake tines and a pair of weighted rollers disposed in an operational relationship between the rows of tines for both leveling and grating sand or other ground surfaces.
In this respect, the roller rake apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of grating and leveling sand or other ground surfaces such as those found on a golf course.